1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a connecting device for releasably holding a first object to a second object, and more particularly to an improved connecting device which is particularly adapted to releasably hold a pilot's oxygen mask to the pilot's helmet.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Since the Second World War, military pilots have commonly used the "elephant trunk"-type of oxygen mask, and the means for connecting this mask to the pilot's helmet generally comprised a series of straps and buckles. This type of device for connecting the mask to the helmet was somewhat cumbersome for the pilot to adjust in flight, particularly if he was wearing gloves.
More recently, an improved oxygen supply system has been developed in which the oxygen supply conduit penetrates the back of the pilot's helmet and communicates with the side of the mask. The principal advantage of this improved mask and helmet design lies in reduction of the torque attributable to the weight of the old "elephant trunk"-type of conduit, a factor which had contributed to pilot fatigue.
Additional details of this improved mask and helmet design may be found on page 22 et seq. of the Spring Quarter, 1974 issue of a publication entitled "SAFE Journal", this being the Journal of the Survival and Flight Equipment Association.